Real Food Photos - Never Food Snobbery - My goal is for you to taste exactly what you read about here when you order your food. I make a constant effort to publish non-biased, honest comments. All too often I've read reviews from "burger experts" praising a gourmet burger only to be disappointed come judgment day. For this reason, I do not go into a burger establishment with cameras blaring, announcing who I am... maybe that's the difference, you decide...

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About Me

No-Bull Burger Purist, born and raised in NJ, the heart of the tri-state area and home to the oldest (and best) burger joints in the country. I don't need all the frilly toppings, happy servers or trendy decor, just a good burger...

The Teora gets it's name from the town in Italy which Chef Mike (Magic Mike)Nillo's family emmigrated from. When Chef Mike described this sandwich as an Italian grilled cheese with the aforementioned ingredients, I was a bit skeptical to say the least, but the end result was nothing shy of culinary greatness.His description of the Teora had me thinking this would be a heavy, overly rich, immensely seasoned sandwich that no health-conscious person would dare attempt. I was wrong, very wrong.To my surprise, this culinary masterpiece was light and airy with flavors and textures all living in perfect harmony. The crunch of the pan-fried bread was the first thing to hit my senses, immediately followed by the snap of perfectly cooked 16/20 shrimp. Note: 16/20 shrimp is the industry standard jargon for the shrimp’s size, meaning 16 to 20 shrimp per pound – that, my fellow foodies, means nice FAT shrimp.Next came the rich cheesy goodness of the seasoned ricotta and mozzarella, with undertones of garlic and a perfectly balanced heat from the hot pepper flakes. This is a sandwich you can't stop eating... and although I don't rate non-burger sandwiches, for all my die-hard burger freak friends, trust me, this is a sandwich you always look for but seldom get to taste...

Chef Jude's Veggie Burger Nightmare is a perfectly cooked 1/2-pound nugget of goodness. From the crispness of the freshly baked roll to the steak-like flavor and texture of the Portobellos, this burger is in my all-time top ten. It's so hard to find a burger with the taste we long for and now, what with the burger "mania" our country is experiencing, truly great burgers are getting harder and harder to find unless you are dining at an established family owned pub where they take their recipes (and burgers) personally as well as seriously. This burger is far from what I call a "kitchen sink" burger where an inexperienced burger chef compiles a mish-mosh of odd toppings to see if they work together. These toppings were hand selected based on flavor and texture, and it shows; they blend perfectly…the crunch of the deep fried veggies, the creamy cheese, the crispness of the roll and the char-broiled flavor of the burger with that perfectly cooked medium-rare inside. Mm mm mm. Check out the photos – another 10/10 on the BC rating scale.

Deep fried banana pepper ring....

Order up! >>>>>>>

Where: The Beach Haven Fishery, Long Beach Island, NJWhat: The Krug's Style Shrimp BurgerBuild: 1/2-pound Black Angus beef, three 16/20 shrimp (big mothers), 2 slices American cheese, garlic, butter, black pepper, 6-oz blue cheese and Frank’s Hot Sauce on a toasted Ciabatta roll.Comments: Yes I am partial to this place, but not because I’ve known the staff for years…it's because of the great burgers I've been eating there for years.And now Chef Magic Mike has promised me one burger special per weekend this season from the Beach Haven Fishery's already robust menu, and he wasted no time setting the bar high with his season opener.It was one of those burgers that you salivate over a day or two day later when you think of the collision of distinct flavors that had your taste buds whirling.Now, forgive me for cursing like a sailor, but this burger was damn good.For those of you who cringe at the marriage of land and sea, I'm here to tell you this burger accomplishes what most all others try to do and fail. The proportion of shrimp vs. meat is spot-on with a tad more food mass given to the shrimp, which to me was perfect, as a 1/2-pound burger can quite easily overshadow any seafood. It is simply a match made in heaven. Hands down a 10/10 on the BC rating scale.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Build: 7 oz. burger, lettuce, tomato, raw white onion, pickle, American cheese, sesame seed bun.Comments:The folks at this quaint little luncheonette in Pearl River are as nice as could be. The menu consists of typical American luncheonette fare with Greek undertones. You can order anything from a whole grilled chicken to baked spinach spanakopita. And of course, burgers.I ordered the cheeseburger deluxe and asked for a temperature of medium and it was served a bit pink inside so I was happy. One thing to note: it was still ripping hot from the grill when served, in fact, I had to wait a few minutes before I could bite it. This scores very high points on my scale. In fact, it was so hot, that I feared it would cook itself to a well-done status in no time – that's when I dove in.The menu states that the burger is 7 oz., however, judging by the burger I was served I have to disagree with that; it was closer to a 5.5 or 6 oz. patty. This is not a complaint, the burger-to-bun ratio was very nice, although the bun was a bit stale (the top crust cracked and fell apart). All in all it was a decent burger – would I order a burger at Peggy's again? No. But I would go back, and I would order one of the Greek dishes as I'm sure that's their forte.One more comment about the burger: If you're going to menu a “7 oz.” burger, why not go the extra mile and advertise a "half pound" burger? It's so much more appealing amid the "burger wars" trend we're so lucky to be in the midst of. I'm just sayin...All in all, the burger gets an 8.1 rating on the BC rating scale.

Comments: Yeah, I know, I know, I went against one of my golden rules, "never order a burger at a hot dog joint and vise versa". With that said, The Dog House produces a very good burger, definitely worth the stop and definitely worth going back for seconds.

I ordered the burger special of the week, the half pound Angus blue cheese burger and I was not disappointed. Thick, meaty and juicy, it was a pleasure to behold (and to hold). The blue cheese was melted perfectly with a more-than-ample portion. In hindsight, I should have ordered it with bacon as well, but it was still a great burger. The Kaiser roll was very fresh with a perfect burger-to-bun ratio. The toppings were also fresh and crisp. Check my autopsy shots for a good representation of The Dog House burger.

The two bonus photos are of my son's wing order (very good) and our friend's "Porky Pig" which is a jumbo dog with bacon, cheese and raw onion and can be ordered deep fried (bless you). This puppy is definitely on the list for our next trip to The Dog House.Nice people, clean place, good fresh food, what more could you ask for?This burger gets a 9.4/10 on the Bill scale.

The photo above shows my burger on a standard nine inch plastic dish... look how big the burger is in comparison...